The Hypocrites are Out Over Liverpool's Move to Sign Alexander Isak

Liverpool are pushing for a record-breaking move to sign Alexander Isak.

Double Standards in Football as Liverpool Push to Sign Alexander Isak

In a game fuelled by passion and tribalism, there is perhaps nothing more tedious than the hypocrisy that creeps in from the very pundits and broadcasters who claim to love football “for the people”. Over the past few weeks and months, Liverpool fans have watched this circus unfold in real time, as two transfer sagas – one involving Trent Alexander-Arnold and the other, Alexander Isak – laid bare just how convenient moralising in football has become.

The reaction to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s desire to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid was met with more sermons than a Sunday morning service. The media response had an almost smug, patronising tone to it. According to them, Trent was right to want a new challenge. Real Madrid, they said, was a club that could “match his ambition”. He was “too good” not to play for a Galáctico-level side. The idea of Liverpool being a permanent home, a final destination, was mocked.

Contrast that with what is happening now that Alexander Isak wants a move to Liverpool.

Two Transfers, Two Narratives

When news broke that Liverpool were seriously interested in Alexander Isak, the response from Newcastle circles was immediate and emotional. Fair enough. He is a fantastic player and has been their talisman since arriving. But it was the reaction from national voices that truly revealed the double standards.

Gaby Logan, in particular, stood out for all the wrong reasons. She put out a video urging Isak to stay. “Newcastle love you,” she said. “You’re building something here.” The tone was almost maternal. She seemed to be speaking on behalf of a city abandoned by a player who had only just begun his journey there. The cringe levels were high.

Funny thing, though. No one released a heartfelt video message pleading with Trent to stay at Liverpool. No pundit sat in front of a camera, voice cracking with emotion, asking the Scouser to think again about leaving his boyhood club. Instead, they praised his ambition. They applauded the move before it even happened. Real Madrid was a step up. He was aiming higher. Liverpool, a side that had just won the Premier League under Arne Slot and was arguably back to their best, was no longer enough.

You’d be forgiven for asking: where was all this grace and support for Liverpool fans trying to make sense of losing their local hero?

Goldbridge Hits the Nail on the Head

Mark Goldbridge might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but credit where it’s due, he nailed the hypocrisy in his takedown of Alan Shearer. Shearer, loyal to Newcastle to the point of legend, was supportive of Trent leaving. He saw no issue with it, just a lad pursuing his dreams. Yet now that Isak is apparently doing the same, Shearer’s tone has shifted. You have to wonder whether he’d be as supportive if Isak was joining Real Madrid instead of Liverpool. Or if he’d still be preaching loyalty if the boot were on the other foot.

It’s not even about where a player is going. It’s about who’s losing him. Trent leaves Liverpool, and it’s seen as noble. Isak wants out of Newcastle, and suddenly there’s a moral crisis. Why is the goalpost always shifting?

Liverpool Deserve More Respect

It’s as if some parts of the media can’t bring themselves to say it: Liverpool are back at the pinnacle of world football. Not in history. Now. In 2025. Arne Slot led them to a dominant Premier League title just months ago. The club is back at the top of English football and has built a squad full of promise and balance.

So when Alexander Isak is linked with Liverpool, it should not be spoken of like he’s betraying a project. He’s stepping into a bigger one. Into a club with a global legacy, modern success and a fanbase that lives and breathes football at a level few others can match. Liverpool isn’t a stepping stone. It’s a destination.

Final Thoughts

Football isn’t just a game of goals and trophies. It’s about identity, emotion and community. The pundits and media personalities who sit in studios and talk about the romance of the game need to start practising what they preach. If they celebrate a player leaving one club for ambition, they should extend the same courtesy to others. If they mourn a player’s potential exit from a project, they should have done the same when Trent made his intentions known.

Liverpool fans have been on both ends of the stick this summer. Praised for resilience one week, mocked for passion the next. Through it all, one thing is clear: the hypocrisy in football commentary is alive and well. And until people start calling it out more often, the double standards will keep piling up.